In an April 28, 2009 letter to Jordan Barab, acting assistant secretary of labor for OSHA, American Industrial Hygiene Association President Lindsay E. Booher, CIH, CSP, pressed OSHA to take immediate action to lower the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for occupational noise exposure to 85 dBA (as an 8-hour time-weighted average) and to adopt the 3 dB exchange rate.
EPA is announcing next steps on two hazardous waste rules to respond to concerns raised by stakeholders: the Definition of Solid Waste rule and the Emission Comparable Fuels rule, according to an agency press release.
EPA is proposing its strategy for increasing the supply of renewable fuels, poised to reach 36 billion gallons by 2022, as mandated by the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007, according to an EPA press release.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has issued a closure order under Section 104(b) of the Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine Act) to Snapco Inc. of Buchanan County, Va., after the mine operator failed to pay $396,576.84 in delinquent penalties and then ignored a demand to correct the failure, according to an MSHA press release. The order closes production at the company’s Mine Number 2; the penalties stem from at least 360 violations cited at that operation.
President Obama announced today his intent to nominate Inez Moore Tenenbaum as Chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Robert S. Adler as a new Commissioner of the CPSC. Furthermore, in the President’s budget, the CPSC receives $107 million, a 71 percent increase in resources since FY 2007. This is almost three quarters of the way to meeting the President’s goal of doubling CPSC’s funding.
Hay fever, or allergic rhinitis, is a legitimate medical problem. Fortunately, it responds well to treatment, reports the May 2009 issue of Harvard Men’s Health Watch.
Each year, during the first week of May, organizations involved in treating and supplying our nation’s drinking water celebrate Drinking Water Week. This year’s celebration runs from May 3rd through May 9th. NSF International, a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Water and Food Safety and Indoor Environment, is offering free educational information to help consumers understand their role in protecting the nation’s water supply, according to a recent press release.
Acting OSHA administrator Jordan Barab made his first trek to Capitol Hill last Thursday (April 30) to testify at a hearing held by the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections of the House Committee on Education and Labor. The hearing was held to examine lapses in OSHA’s targeted inspection program for repeat penalty offenders, “the Enhanced Enforcement Program,” (EEP) as cited in a recent report by the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General (OIG).
Eric Emery, CEO of Bennett-Bowen and Lighthouse, a safety equipment distributor located in Santa Fe Springs, Calif, and the Safety Equipment Distributors Association's First Vice President, passed away on Wednesday, April 29 after a lengthy illness. He was 50 years old. Eric, a native of Iowa, is survived by his wife, Janet Emery; his sisters, Michelle Ault, Maureen Baker, Paula Purtzer, and Lisa McLarty, and his nephews and nieces.
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